⚠️ Guard the Flame: Confronting the Drift from Apostolic Vision to Institutional Religion

There’s a question every movement must face. Not just once—but again and again:

Have we preserved the fire—or have we settled for form?

In his urgent and prophetic work Towards an Institutional or Apostolic Vision, Alejandro Rodríguez calls not just YWAM, but the global Church, to a holy confrontation. The sobering truth? What begins in faith, dependence, and mission can slowly slip into maintenance, structure, and survival.

This is the Drift We Must Resist

Rodríguez, a seasoned YWAM leader since 1989, doesn't mince words. He speaks as a father to a family—calling us back to our roots. He warns us of the danger of becoming what we never set out to be: just another ministry machine, running smooth on the outside but powerless within.

Let’s be clear: the institutional drift is real. It doesn’t happen overnight. It begins with good intentions—but over time, we trade encounter for efficiency, legacy for logistics, and obedience for optics.

Are We Still Apostolic?

Rodríguez draws a line between two vastly different paradigms:

And here’s the wake-up call: Every one of us is vulnerable to this drift. Whether you lead a church, a base, a ministry, or a family—this isn’t just about YWAM. This is about you and me.

Have we allowed familiarity to dull our fervor?Have we replaced obedience with programming?Have we become comfortable with managing what God called us to multiply?

The Slow Slide into Comfort

Rodríguez recalls the early days of YWAM Argentina: one bathroom for 35 people. No hot water. And yet? The fire of God was unmistakable. Now, when teams travel to 36 nations, the response is polite applause instead of awe-filled praise. What happened?

We’ve grown used to the blessing. But have we lost the wonder?We’ve scaled in numbers. But have we diminished in power?

Here’s the warning: What we celebrate reveals what we value. And what we tolerate eventually becomes what we reproduce.

Are We a Family or Just a Facility?

One of the most piercing insights from Rodríguez is this: “We were called to be a family of ministries—not a ministry hotel.”

In other words, community is not about cohabitation—it’s about covenant. Apostolic movements are built on shared life, not shared spreadsheets.

If we find ourselves guarding our free time more than our relationships…If our homes are closed off, our tables empty, and our schedules untouchable…We may be maintaining a mission in name, but forsaking the heart of the Kingdom.

Abram or Abraham?

Rodríguez puts it bluntly: Will we remain Abram, clinging to a small vision, protective of our “Ishmaels”? Or will we become Abraham, fathering movements, stewarding nations, and believing for what we may never personally possess?

This is the apostolic call:

* To build what others will finish.

* To sow what others will harvest.

* To raise what others will lead.

Apostolic vision never asks, “How does this benefit me?” It asks, “How will this bless the generations to come?”

Refuse to Lead Without Love

Perhaps the most convicting truth in Rodríguez’s message is this: We cannot lead what we do not love. Programs don’t make disciples—spiritual parents do. And if we’re recruiting workers without fathering sons and daughters, we’re simply expanding an institution, not advancing the Kingdom.

We must confront the orphan spirit in ourselves and our structures.We must refuse to multiply function without family.We must break the addiction to speed and build for depth.

A Time to Reckon, A Time to Rebuild

YWAM isn’t alone in this battle. Every apostolic movement—every local church, ministry, base, and leader—must ask:

* Have we institutionalised what God meant to ignite?

* Are we managing growth instead of stewarding glory?

* Are we protecting positions instead of empowering people?

Rodríguez’s book ends not with despair, but a call to repentance and return. The Spirit is still speaking. The invitation still stands. Will we allow Him to cleanse, confront, and commission us anew?

“God still has much to reveal,” he writes, “and together, as a family, we can fulfill the Great Commission.”

But only if we resist the drift.

🔥 Let this be our altar moment. Not just to tweak our methods—but to realign our hearts. Let’s re-dig the wells. Let’s return to first love. Let’s recover the apostolic DNA that birthed our mission in the first place.

👉 Want to explore what this looks like in your team, base, or movement?Invite Glenn Bleakney to minister on-site or online. Together, let’s reclaim the vision.📧 Email: admin@awakenations.org

Movements don’t die from opposition. They die from assimilation.Let’s build differently. Let’s build apostolically. Let’s guard the flame.

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